Claude Giroux, used with permission © Bob Fina/InsideHockey.com

There is a saying in Philadelphia that as Jimmy Rollins goes so do the Phillies.

The same can be said for the Phillies’ on-ice counterparts. The Flyers beat the New York Islanders 7-0 thanks to their captain Claude Giroux’s breakout performance.

Giroux finished the game with two goals and an assist after scoring just one goal in the last 14 games prior to Monday’s matinee in Long Island. He made his presence known right off the bat, scoring 26 seconds into the game.

Peter Laviolette changed up the lines yet again to try and spark the anemic offense. He paired Giroux with Matt Read and Jakub Voracek and boy, did he find a perfect match.

The first line combined for a total of 10 points, Read scoring his team-leading seventh goal and Voracek finishing with a career-high four points.

Every facet of the Flyers game seemed to click. Ilya Bryzgalov was finally awarded for his consistent play with his first shutout of the 2013 season. The Flyers did a great job in clogging up the path to Bryz, with only 19 shots getting through.

The Flyers’ penalty-kill was the lone bright spot of the otherwise dismal road trip so far and it was no different against one of the top power-play units in the league. The Islanders failed to capitalize on four power plays, including a two-minute five-on-three in the first period.

Danny Briere also notched two goals and Zac Rinaldo scored his first on the season thanks to the speedy legs of Harry Zolnierczyk. Briere’s first goal came on the power-play in the third period after Brayden Schenn cashed in on the man-advantage in the second.

The Flyers answered many of their critics with their dominating performance over the Islanders but we have seen flashes of brilliance in the past. On January 26, the Flyers put a 7-1 pounding on the Florida Panthers only to lose 5-1 against Tampa Bay the next day. They went on to lose the next two.

Let’s hope the Flyers can muster at least half of the effort they exuded today when they head to Pittsburgh to finish their six-game road trip Wednesday night.

Inside Hockey/ Rob Marks

The Flyers fell 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils for their fourth loss against an Atlantic Division opponent but the biggest loss wasn’t in the standings.

Kimmo Timonen never returned to the ice after the second period. Paul Holmgren didn’t say much other than he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

If Timonen is on the shelf for even a few games, it will be a huge blow to the already depleted Flyers blue line. Not only is Timonen their best defenseman, he has helped turn Luke Schenn’s game completely around.

The defense has been the weakness all season and this game was no different. The Flyers made costly turnovers and after the first period, their forecheck was basically non-existent.

Travis Zajac opened up the scoring for the Devils just 40 seconds into the game but the Flyers came back with three goals scored by Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read and Mike Knuble in less than three minutes to finish the first with a 3-1 lead.

The Devils made it a one-goal game 26 seconds into the second period when Martin Brodeur lobbed a dead-on pass to center ice to Ilya Kovalchuk who fed it Alexei Ponikarovsky. Patrik Elias tied the game at three after yet another Flyers turnover.

The Flyers have been tied after two periods four times this season. They have come out with zero points in each.

David Clarkson broke the tie with his tenth goal on the season and Steve Bernier put the cherry on top with an empty netter when Peter Laviolette pulled Ilya Bryzgalov with a little less than two minutes left to play.

Bryzgalov has been the Flyers best player so far this season and even in a game where he looked a little rusty, the players in front of him didn’t help make his job any easier.  Between the leaky defense and the offense going cold, the blame can be spread all around the locker room.

The Flyers are headed to Montreal to play the Canadiens Saturday night for the second game of this back-to-back.

Photo: bridgetds/Flickr

Claude Giroux said after Monday night’s embarrassing loss in Toronto that it is just a matter of time before the bounces go the Flyers way.

Giroux may be having a hard time finding the net but his teammates finally cashed in on some lucky bounces in the 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets to end their four-game losing streak on the road.

Despite being outplayed throughout most of the first period, the Flyers entered the second with a 2-1 lead.

Brayden Schenn got things started when he redirected a great feed by Jakub Voracek, who had himself a monster game with two beautiful setups.

Harry Zolnierczyk found himself on the red eye to Winnipeg after Sean Couturier was sent home with the flu and he made his presence known early when a blocked shot resulted in a break away but was stoned by Al Montoya.

Kimmo Timonen, who had some choice words for his teammates Monday night, gave the Flyers the lead for good with a power-play goal after Andrew Ladd beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a one-timer from the slot off a nifty blind backhand pass by Blake Wheeler.

Tye McGinn continued to prove that he deserves a permanent spot on this roster once Scott Hartnell comes back. He gave the Flyers insurance early in the third period when the puck went off his stick as he was crashing the net.

Along with notching his third NHL goal, McGinn came to the defense of his teammate and dropped the gloves with heavyweight Mark Stuart. Stuart landed a few early punches but McGinn came back strong and took him to the ice.

The Flyers rarely let the Jets gain sustained pressure but when they did, Bryzgalov had the all the answers. Bryzgalov stopped 24 of 26 shots, letting in a goal with less than a minute left in the game.

The Flyers will fly back to the East Coast Wednesday and enjoy a two-day layover until they take on Eastern Conference leading New Jersey Devils Friday night.

The Flyers looked as if they were on the last leg of a long road trip Monday night in the 5-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, it was just the first of a six-game road trip.

Despite taking seven out of a possible eight points on the homestand, the Flyers had a hard time coming out strong in the first period and were forced to play catch up game after game.

The Flyers put an end to that trend when Wayne Simmonds gave them the early lead just 38 seconds into the game. Luke Schenn earned an assist in his first visit to Toronto since being traded to the Flyers

The Flyers started the game hot. They just couldn’t finish it.

In a span of 30 seconds, the game turned in the Leafs favor. After numerous failed clearing attempts by the Flyers, Colton Orr knocked in a rebound right behind Nicklas Grossmann and Matt Frattin made it 3-1 less than three minutes in the second period.

Neither goalie would make it through the second period. James Reimer was replaced by Ben Scrivens due to injury and Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled in favor of Brian Boucher.

Peter Laviolette’s time out didn’t spark the team so his next option was to pull the goaltender. Bryzgalov stopped just ten of the 14 shots he faced but the defense in front of him left him out to dry.

The Flyers had plenty of chances to inch their way back in the game with seven minutes of power-play time in the second period. That included a five-minute major when Tye McGinn was boarded face-first by Korbinian Holzer. They had six shots but mustered up only one decent chance.

James van Riemsdyk put the icing on the cake for Toronto when he absolutely burned Luke Schenn on a breakaway to score his eighth goal on the season. JVR finished with four shots, a goal and almost 19 minutes of ice time against his former team.

The Flyers need to forget about this game quickly since they head to Winnipeg to take on the Jets tomorrow night.

Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels Flickr: bridgetds

The Flyers embark on a six-game road trip after gaining seven out of a possible eight points on their week-long homestand.

There will be a a new but familiar face on the charter flight to Toronto Sunday. Brian Boucher was recalled from the Adirondack Phantoms to replace Michael Leighton as backup to Ilya Bryzgalov.

Leighton will be out seven to ten days with an upper-body injury but with Boucher’s play in the AHL, he deserves the recall. In six games, Boucher is just 2-4 but he has a .908 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average.

With back-to-back games in Monday and Tuesday, there is a good chance Boucher will get the call in net against Winnipeg. In Leighton’s one game this season against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he allowed five goals on 26 shots.

Boucher is 4-6-3 lifetime against Winnipeg with a .892 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average.

Photo: bridgetds/Flickr

The Flyers will look to continue their winning streak to three games Thursday night when the Florida Panthers come to the Wells Fargo Center.

Meanwhile, Kimmo Timonen is close to signing a one-year, $6 million contract extension according to Tim Pannacio of CSN Philly.

This would make Timonen the highest-paid defenseman on the Flyers at 38 years old. Since joining the team in 2007, Timonen has only missed 12 games.

The price may seem high especially at Timonen’s age but considering it’s only a one-year deal, the higher cap hit is expected. There are injury concerns and with the cap going down to $64 million next season, there is a strong chance he could become a liability.

There is no doubt, however, that Timonen is a much-needed veteran presence on such a young team. His influence is clearly already apparent on newcomer Luke Schenn and even with Timonen’s lack of speed, he is still an asset to any blueline.

The Flyers are expected to make an announcement later this week.

Photo: bridgetds/Flickr

Things have been crazy around here the past couple of days so apologies for slacking off!

As you already know, the Flyers beat the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night with a score of 5-3. The puck finally found the back of the net much thanks to going 3-for-3 on the power-play.

If the Flyers want to continue the climb out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they have to find a way to stop the offensive powerhouse that is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Flyers took a 5-1 beat-down at the hands of the Lightning last weekend and since then, the Lightning have scored 15 goals in three games. Their power-play ranks first in the league at 36.1 percent and Steven Stamkos alone has 16 points in eight games.

It won’t be an easy task especially with Wayne Simmonds out with a concussion but the good news is that Ilya Bryzgalov continues his strong play in between the pipes and Claude Giroux and Danny Briere renewed their chemistry on the first line against Carolina.

If the Flyers can stay out of the box and capitalize on the man advantage, the Lightning won’t be too hard to strike down.

Photo: bridgetds/Flickr

The Flyers find themselves sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference after a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Coming off of a rare two-day break, the Flyers finally had time to work on their sore spot – special teams. Danny Briere moved alongside Claude Giroux to try to ignite the anemic offense against a team that was coming off a late-night flight from Toronto.

Instead of taking advantage of the Caps’ short layover, the Flyers came out flat in the first ten minutes of the game.

The Capitals had nine shots through the first half of the period as compared to the Flyers two. By the end of the first, the Flyers picked up the pace and evened up the shots at 11 apiece.

Despite keeping the game scoreless, the Flyers didn’t escape the first 20 minutes unscathed.

Wayne Simmonds took a blow to the ice after getting an elbow to the face thanks to a questionable hit by John Erskine. He left the game bloodied and a little dazed.

Paul Holmgren said after the game that after the first test it doesn’t appear Simmonds has a concussion but does have a “head injury” with whiplash. He will undergo further tests.

The Flyers lost another man when Zac Rinaldo came to the defense of his teammate and put a beat down on Matt Hendricks. Both players received a game misconduct for dropping the gloves before the whistle.

Bruno Gervais finally broke the tie when he banged in a loose puck into a wide open net mid-way through the second period. The lead lasted all but six minutes until Nicklas Backstrom scored on a breakaway after Sean Couturier turned the puck over at the Capitals blue line during a line change.

Tye McGinn and Kimmo Timonen were called for penalties in the last minute of the second period but luckily the Capitals couldn’t convert.

The Capitals did take the lead on a Troy Brouwer wrist shot that he lifted over the shoulders of both Luke Schenn and Bryzgalov on the short-side.

Wojtek Wolski scored the game-winner after another costly defensive lapse by Luke Schenn. Brayden Schenn cut Washington’s lead to one when he potted in the rebound after Matt Read’s initial shot banged off both posts.

That’s all the offense the Flyers could muster behind yet another strong start by Bryz.

The Flyers take the train back up to Philly to face the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night.

It’s our birthday!

Aerys Sports is celebrating its second year of proving that women kick ass. In a world where the internet is constantly spewing out “Girls Guides” and other nonsense, Aerys continues to showcase some of the most intelligent and dedicated fans.

They just so happen to be women.

I have been a part of Aerys for a little over a year now but It’s Always Icy has been here from the beginning. Over the past two years, our contributors have covered almost three seasons, two early playoff exits, a franchise makeover, a Winter Classic, a lockout and the emergence of a NHL superstar.

Aerys offers an outlet for women to prove every stereotype wrong – except maybe the fact that we do love ourselves some Swedes.

But yet again, who doesn’t?

© Bob Fina/InsideHockey.com

The Flyers offensive woes through the first two weeks of the season have been well-documented. The fans are panicking, Peter Laviolette is throwing out every line combination possible on the ice and the players have yet to respond.

Philadelphia is so accustomed to the goaltending being the problem that when Ilya Bryzgalov continues to put up impressive numbers and the Flyers are still losing, it’s hard for fans not to worry.

Last season, the Flyers were second in goals-per-game with 3.17, sixth in power-play percentage with 19.7% and averaged 32.3 shots-per-game for fourth in the league.

Coming off a summer where they revamped a big chunk of their roster, nobody dreamed the Flyers would have that much offensive power. Their rookies exceeded expectations ten-fold, the players acquired via trade or free-agency fit into the system perfectly and the team veterans filled in the empty voids.

Paul Holmgren looked like a genius.

That raises the question: Was last year a fluke?
» Continue reading “Was Last Season A Fluke?”